New California fishing license proposed by Sen. Tom Berryhill

Anglers like Charlie Taylor, shown here with a Cuyamaca 8-pound bass last year, will be able to buy a fishing license that will be good for 12 consecutive months and not run out at the end of the calendar year.

Anglers like Charlie Taylor, shown here with a Cuyamaca 8-pound bass last year, will be able to buy a fishing license that will be good for 12 consecutive months and not run out at the end of the calendar year.

Turkey calls: The season opens March 30 after a two-day junior season on March 23-24. It’s time to start assembling calls and other gear for that first sunrise in the turkey woods. I’ve never been disappointed with a turkey call from H.S. Strut, or any product they make for that matter. Their new H.S. Strut Legacy friction pan call comes in glass and slate versions for those soft tree yelps, clucks and purrs or excited high-pitched cackles. The calls have a great look, too, available in a walnut pot on the slate and cherry wood on the glass model. They’re sealed and water-resistant and compact enough to fit in a shirt pocket for easy access when that tom turkey surprises you with a gobble or gets hung up at 100 yards. Never rely on one call when hunting spring gobblers. The Legacy calls come with a premium flex Legacy diaphragm call, too, for times when you want your hands free to take care of pulling the trigger on that boss tom. The set retails at around $27.99. Check www.hunterspec.com or call (319) 395-0321.

Gun battles: There is a lot of misinformation being dealt about guns and ammo right now. And there’s even more bad dope going around about the various groups who are fighting to protect Second Amendment rights.

It’s no secret that mainstream media members, unaware or ignorant to gun ownership, shooting or hunting, have been trying to drive a wedge between organizations such as the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the NRA, two groups who fight the daily battle for citizen gun rights in America. The NSSF, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, believes the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) must be fixed to include more state criminal and mental health records. A piece in the Washington Post on Wednesday implies that the NSSF’s stance on NICS puts it at odds with the NRA. The NSSF has countered that with a statement, saying, “Regarding so-called universal background checks or background checks that extend beyond retail sales or to private transfers such as a father passing on a favorite hunting rifle to his son, our big concern is one shared by millions of firearms owners – that enforcing checks of used firearm transfers between individuals will lead to the creation of a national registry of firearms, something that Congress has expressly prohibited. In addition, the current background check system would need to be greatly expanded at huge cost to handle the additional checks. Canada is actually in the process of dismantling its expensive and inefficient rifle and shotgun registry because it takes up police time better used elsewhere. We also have concerns related to the woeful lack of prosecutions of persons flagged by NICS as prohibited from purchasing a firearm, as well as concerns about imposing on firearms retailers increased regulatory burdens and exposure to liability for merchandise they didn’t sell.”

Adventurers wanted: We’re getting bullish on lists here at U-T San Diego, and here’s one that really impressed me. How about a Bucket List for adventurers in California before the state runs us all out of here with taxes to fund the state’s ever-growing entitlement class. This list comes courtesy of aboutdci.com, New York-based Development Counselors International, a travel and economic development firm.